CHAPTER 10 - The Roles of the Ordinances
You can read along on pages 141-145
It quickly becomes clear in this chapter that Dr. Dever has a much different understanding of baptism than what we do. Even so, his primary point remains valid, that "baptism identifies us as members of the community called the people of God—the church (Pg 141)."
This is a very short chapter, but it covers some very important topics which we need to bone up on. Use these excerpts from the Heidelberg Catechism to help you prepare yourself to answer the think tank questions below:
#66 - What are sacraments?
#70 - What does it mean to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit?
#72 - Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?
#74 - Should infants, too, be baptized?
#78 - Are the bread and wine changed into the real body and blood of Christ?
#80 - How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass?
#81 - Who are to come to the Lord’s table?
THINK TANK
Are our efforts to 'fence the table' - that is, efforts to prevent those who should not be coming to the table from participating - sufficient?
Could you explain why we baptize infants in this church to a new attender?
How would you explain to a Lutheran neighbor who rarely attends church that salvation involves more than just being baptized as a baby and later 'confirmed' by the church?
Could you explain the differences between the Roman Catholic Mass and Biblical communion?
